The Colony's Deron Williams, Bracey Wright, and Bamfield Harmon sign their letters of intent to Division I schools. Williams is going to Illinois, Wright to Indiana, and Harmon will play for Rhode Island.

A friend text messaged me a few weeks ago and asked if I would trade Dirk Nowitzki for Dwight Howard. Before I could stop throwing up, he added a second part to the deal.

In this scenario, getting Howard would also get you Deron Williams. Keeping Nowitzki wouldn’t.

In that case, I said I thought the Mavericks would have to think about it although, realistically, Nowitzki’s no-trade clause makes it pointless to consider. In addition, the awful feeling you get from trading a “team-first” player like Dirk for the ultimate “it’s-all-about-me” player in Howard makes it too sickening to ponder for long.

But somehow that “what if” scenario has intruded on the real world of the Mavericks’ pursuit of Williams, even if it does not involve trading Nowitzki. It’s impossible to think the shadow of Howard didn’t loom over the Mavericks on Monday as coach Rick Carlisle, GM Donnie Nelson and (pick a title) Michael Finley met with Williams and his agent in New York.

That is, at least until mid-afternoon when the shadow of shooting guard Joe Johnson moved onto the scene.

First, Howard’s intrusion comes from his meeting with new Orlando GM Rob Hennigan over the weekend. Howard reiterated his trade demand and reportedly said the only team he would sign a long-term contract with is Brooklyn.

This is not the first time Howard and Williams have been linked. It’s been an ongoing process really for two years. Ever since LeBron James and Dwyane Wade joined hands in Miami two summers ago, there has been talk of Williams and Howard attempting to do likewise in the summer of 2012.

They were the free agents the Mavericks had their sights on last December when the decision was made not to re-sign Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea from the 2011 championship team. Although I have always agreed with that decision — there were no realistic reasons to expect that team to repeat under any circumstances — let’s just say it didn’t play well with the public when the team struggled through the regular season and disappeared from the playoffs in a first-round sweep.

Then Howard, despite endless attempts to get himself out of Orlando, chose to stay with the Magic for another year late last season, leaving Williams all alone as the premier prize in the free-agency signing period that began Sunday.

But before anyone could know what to make of Howard’s demand, former Hawk Joe Johnson jumped into the mix. The Nets appeared set to take on Johnson’s rather formidable contract, leaving one to assume it would be next to impossible to fit Williams, Howard and Johnson together under the salary cap.

As things tend to move rapidly in free agency, the Mavericks aren’t totally certain who (or what) their competition is.

It is their hope that, for Williams, running the pick-and-roll with Nowitzki sounds more inviting than throwing the ball into Howard or watching Johnson jack up long-range jumpers.

And then there’s the fact that Williams played high school ball at The Colony and has expressed an interest in coming home to Dallas.

That would seem to give the Mavericks at least a 50-50 chance of beating out Brooklyn. The Nets can offer more money, but it’s not that substantial. Some people like to say the Nets can offer an extra $25 million since NBA salary cap rules give them a chance to play Williams about $100 million over five years compared to Dallas’ $75 million over four.

That’s only an extra $25 million if one can assume Williams never plays that fifth season for anyone and makes no money — done with basketball, presumably — at age 32.

When the money is at these astronomical levels, it’s crazy to talk about state income tax and cost-of-living factors. Let’s just say that $19 million per year in Dallas is better than $20 million per year in New York — but they’re both pretty good, OK?

Whatever the case, the Mavericks went to bat for Williams on Monday, and they did it without Mark Cuban, who was in Los Angeles for the taping of Shark Tank. Some people have a problem with that, but if I’m going to play for Cuban, all I really want to see is his money, not his awkward facial expressions.

Williams knows what Cuban can do for him. What none of us know is whether he really cares about what Dwight Howard or Joe Johnson can do for him.

Given Nowitzki’s 1-0 edge in championship rings and his much more sizable advantage on either one as a team player, Mavs fans have reason to hope Williams makes the smart decision.

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About Tim Cowlishaw

Tim Cowlishaw has been The Dallas Morning News' lead sports columnist since July 1998. Prior to that he covered the Cowboys for six seasons and the Stars for three as a beat reporter. He also covered the Rangers as a backup beat writer and was the San Jose Mercury News' beat writer on the San Francisco Giants in the late 1980s.

Tim has been appearing regularly on ESPN"s "Around the Horn" since the show made its debut in November 2002. He also worked with ESPN as part of the network's "NASCAR Now" coverage in 2007-08.

Favorite Dallas restaurants: Park, Nick and Sam's, Kenichi.

Worst sports prediction: His first in college ... that Earl Campbell had no shot at the Heisman Trophy.

Best sports memories: Seeing the Dallas Stars hoist the Stanley Cup long after midnight in Buffalo, watching the Dallas Cowboys win the Super Bowl and Texas win the national title in perfect Rose Bowl settings.